死のタッチ : Shi no Tatchi
by Codename-SN
Summary: Death's touch. It is said that no one was ever spared from it. And its true. Until one Uzumaki Naruto and his eternal friend, Kurama, joined forces that is. [Time-travel. Third Shinobi World War.] ON HOLD!
1. Of End and Beginning

**.**

 **[ Location : In the Middle of Antarctica.  
**

 **Studio : Blank Delirium**

 **Time : 6 : 25 pm ]**

 **.**

 _ **-connection available-**_

 **K : Bonjour, my dear readers! -smiles-** **I'm happy to introduce you all to another fiction written by my Creator!**

 **This is one of the ideas that they wanted to write, among others, that was mentioned in the second chapter of the story US.**

 **-sighs- I would like to say it was fun...but that would be a lie.**

 **They are insufferable! -throws hands up in the air- I swear if this studio didn't belong to them, we would've been fired already.**

 **The idea is amazing actually, I won't deny that. But they're just so lazy and has an attention span of a baby bird. Plus our ears constantly suffered from the regular rants that SN always says aloud whenever immersed in writing. (Imagine being stuck in a darkened room where various voices are constantly echoing in high volume.. and you get my plight.)**

 **I'm not even going to mention the number of times we had to proofread the draft for correction.. (SN : -depressing clouds hovering above the head- No respect.. I swear. And I resent that!)**

 **Anyways, our problems aside. I think someone was helping Shelton for this idea. Why do I think that you ask? One, they** **always wanted to do a combined project. Two, this all started the day they spent most of the day on their tab, without opening this site...so yes I have my suspicions.**

 **-glances at the clock- Eh?! Why am I doing this alone still? Where the-?**

 **Jarvis : -comes out of the puff of smoke- Yo!**

 **K : Ack-! -turns to the intruder- Who the hell are you?!**

 **Jarvis : -rolls eyes- Well if you can't see.. I'm Jarvis.**

 **K : I see that. -frowns- I don't know you though. This is a private studio and you're not supposed to be here!**

 **Jarvis : Err... I was told to come here? This is 'Blank Delirium' right?**

 **Temari : Yup! -smiles brightly-**

 **Both : -thinking- 'Where did you come from?!'**

 **Temari : Didn't they tell you guys who your partner would be?**

 **K : -huffs- Obviously not.**

 **Temari : Aa...-nods- well don't worry! I'll introduce our guest here!**

 **This here is the representative sent from the 'Tower of Lust'. -waves towards Jarvis- The studio owned by SN's friend who will be the co-author for the story!**

 **And this -waves towards K- is one of their close friends and co-worker in this studio!**

 **Both : -turns to her at the same time- You mean we're working with Segaku/SN?!**

 **Temari : ...Yes. -sweatdrop-**

 _ **-a black portal suddenly opens in the middle of the office-**_

 **Axel : -walks out of portal and looks around the office- Man... where the hell did I end up again? At least give me some warning or something..? -mumbles-**

 **K : -sighs- Anyone knows him..?**

 **Jarvis : Actually I do! -all eyes turn to him- You guys know about the game 'Kingdom Hearts'? Yeah.. he's one of the characters. -snickers- Segaku is crazy about them! (Rinsegaku : Not true!)**

 **- _after five minutes of introduction-_**

 **Axel : Oh? One of Naruto's fanfic...interesting. Don't mind my presence -waves hand dismissively- Continue. I'll just see where it goes.**

 **Temari : What? But this isn't even your fandom! -crosses arms across her chest- And you need the author's, both of them, permission to stay here. This is supposed to be a private studio! -continues for next two minutes-**

 **Axel : -rubs the back of his neck- Oh well...you guys have sea-salt ice cream?**

 **Jarvis and K: -looks at each other before shrugging- Here! -pulls ice cream out of thin air-**

 **Temari : You're not even listening! -glares-**

 **Axel : -has attention on ice cream-**

 **K : Um... w-wait Temari-san! We're supposed to do the A/N not fight! Right Jarvis?**

 **Jarvis : Uh..yeah!**

 **Temari : Hmph. Do your job then.**

 **Jarvis : -clears throat- So.. where did you stop?**

 **K : Oh! It was time for disclaimer. You're up in two!**

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer_ -**

Yo, this is Jarvis! -waves- I'm sure by now you have a good idea of who we are! But for your convenience I'll sat this again. I'm from Segaku's crew, and this story is a combined project between the two studios -the Tower of Lust and the Blank Delirium- whose owners are good friends. (And I think they're even thinking of merging them to form a new one!)

We're here because the actual authors are busy sorting out the details and all that stuff I don't really care about. The disclaimer is not going to be repeated mind you.

It goes without saying that our creators **do not** own the anime/manga series called **Naruto**. That's why they are here, isn't it? Its a fanfiction site after all.

And trust me when I say this, you do not want SN to own it in any case.

 **.**

 **Original anime -** **Naruto**

 **Copyright © Kishimoto Masashi**

 **.**

 **Fanfiction - Shi no Tatchi**

 **Copyright © _Codename-SN_** **and _Rinsegaku_**

 **All rights reserved.**

 **.**

 ** _Summary_ -**

Death's touch. It is said that no one was ever spared from it. And its true. Until one Uzumaki Naruto and his eternal friend, Kurama, joined forces.

The Fourth Shinobi World War. It destroyed more than they had anticipated. They tried really but.. maybe their foe was just that strong. Or maybe luck didn't favour them. Who knew. What Naruto did know, however, was that if nothing was done, the world would be destroyed. Kurama offered a solution. He warned that it would be suicide. But at least they would have the last laugh, right? Naruto, did not expect THIS however. He swore he would get that stupid fox back for this!

* * *

 **Jarvis : -turns around- You got that recorded?**

 **DCM (Delirium Crew Member) : Hai!**

 **K : Well then, we're finished here!**

 **Temari : I know! Let's go the new restaurant to celebrate the launch, its about dinner time anyway. -raises eyebrow at the group smiling-**

 **Everyone (except Axel) : Yeah! -pumps fists in the air-**

 **K : -bows towards the readers- That's all for the first A/N! Enjoy the story ~**

 _ **-after ten minutes - lights off and door's closing-**_

 **Axel : -turns back at the last minute- You know, the disclaimer** **was really bothersome to do even once so...we're not doing it again.**

 **Got it memorized?**

 **Temari : You coming spiky-head?!**

 **Axel : Yeah yeah... -raises hand in a wave turning back-**

* * *

 **Prelude : Inmolation.**

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my life again. Walk with me every curve, every bend, this promenade that seems to come to an end."_  
 _Juliet - Sonata Arctica._

* * *

It was a peaceful evening in Konohagakure no Sato. Different shades of reds, oranges and violets painted the sky in beautiful combinations of colors. The scant sun rays covered the land in the residual warmth from the day. A serene atmosphere that allowed even the shinobi to relax in a carefree manner.

One did not need to have a keen observational skill to know that both, civilians and shinobi alike, were grateful for the peace that has settled over the Elemental Nations. It was possibly the longest one they have ever seen.

And of course, Konohagakure had remained one of the strongest hidden villages and even flourished under the rule of the Rokudaime Hokage, also known as, the Orange Hokage.

It is nobody's guess who that was.

On that particular evening, in the Hokage's office where papers lay strewn across the desk, the previously mentioned Hokage was asleep, with his head buried in his arms.

As awareness slowly returned to him, he lifted his head from the desk with a loud groan. It seemed that he fell alseep halfway through his work. Again.

A tired sigh escaped his lips, as he tried to remove the cobwebs of sleep from his mind. Once he got home, his forever dear wife would surely chew his head off for spending more time on work, instead with their sons.

And it would surely not be first time..or last for the matter.

He could not blame her though. But whenever he thought about them, there was this feeling of...emptiness inside him. As if he was missing something. Yet he could never tell what. Had he not known better he would even dare say that his life with his family..as a Hokage, felt surreal. A long dream, or maybe some sort of...illusion?

In that moment, a strange presence pulled at the back of his mind. As if trying to tell- warn him... about something.

But his attention was diverted from his thoughts, as he noticed his office door opening. A familiar shade of pink hair on a heart shaped face poked from the space between the door and the wall.

"Have some spare time, Hokage-sama?"

A slight grin stretched across the tan face as he recognized the owner, even though he felt exasperated by her words.

"Come in Sakura, you know you're always welcome here. And how many times do I need to say for you to cut out that honorific crap?"

The pink haired medic chuckled as she fully entered the office, shaking her head in amusement.

"I don't really get it Naruto. Why go through all that trouble to become Hokage, if you don't like being called one?"

"I like the position. Not the title, Sakura. And Kami knows I've tried almost everything to make the people stop calling me 'Hokage-sama' or 'Rokudaime-sama'."

The blond made dramatic gestures to get his point across to his friend standing in front of him. His face morphing in a disgruntled expression as he said the next part.

"The council keeps telling me its 'tradition'. Bleh..!"

Her green orbs rolled at man's antics. And he was supposed to be an adult! The comfortable silence settled among them, which was soon broken after a while by the female of the two.

"Oh? Getting rusty in your age, hm?"

The pink haired woman could not help but tease the blond when he rolled his shoulders with a small grimace, but he just dismissed the attempt with a lazy wave of his hand.

"Nah..its just a dull ache. I'm sure from falling asleep on this desk, nothing serious."

"Meh, you and Sasuke are the same. Both softies outside a battlefield. Heck, he even passed out when he saw his daughter born for crying out loud!"

Both friends shared a laugh at the memory. It was probably one of the most embarrassing scenes that included Sasuke. Which, of course, Naruto just could not let him live it down.

The blond abruptly stopped and did a double take. There was an odd feeling he got when he remembered the mentioned memory. Something was just... off with it.

The strange pull, that was still present on the back of his mind, seemed stronger than before.

He then went over some of his other memories he had, and realized what exactly was wrong with them. Sure there were images of times he had spent with his friends and family but.. they did not really felt like memories. There were no emotions tied to them.

It was as if he was watching a movie, seeing everything from a third perspective. His own life to boot.

But it was not really his life, was it?

That realization struck him hard, like one Tsunade's punches when she was extremely pissed, making him stagger in his seat.

Sasuke was not a softie, was he?

The Uchiha was not even married to Sakura.. how could they have a daughter?

Heck! He, himself, was not married to anyone.. he did not have a family..

An avalanche of memories, his true memories this time, flooded his head. It all rushed at him with such an overwhelming force, that he felt dizzy. Until one memory summarized everything for him, along with the sinking feeling of dread growing in his gut.

War.

 _'We were..at war. Then how..-?'_

The scenary around him wavered and blurred, before forcing itself right once again. The memories, which he could now identify as fakes, forced themselves again in head, but he fought against them.

"Naruto? Are you okay?"

The 'Sakura', in front of him, asked in a concerned tone. Reminding himself that she was not real, he focused on his current task. Which was to figure out what happened, and he felt as if that strange pull could be of help.

Without hesitating any longer, he concentrated on it with all his might. He could feel himself getting closer to..whatever it was. At first it felt like a familiar emotion.. then as it came into more focus he realized it was a voice..a deep, guttural sound...

"...ruto!... Nar.. ake up! ...enjutsu! ...dara!.."

His eyes widened, immediately recognizing the owner of the said voice and the implications of the few deformed words he had heard. Instantly, he flared his chakra and the vision faltered again, blurring and twisting, before correcting itself again. He could still see 'Sakura' in his peripheral vision, looking concerned as before.

Ignoring the force that resisted his escape, he focused on his chakra and releasing the genjutsu settled over him.

His chakra flared wildly, such that it was almost painful. This time the vision completely shattered like a glass, the blond now appearing as his original sixteen year old self in his preferred orange and black jumpsuit and no longer in the hokage robes. His body floating in air, in an endless white space alone. Or so he thought.

The nine-tailed fox, Kurama, appeared in front of him – out of breath and looking more tired than the boy had ever seen him. He noticed the fox was slightly skinny and his fur shades paler. The alarms in the teen's head went off immediately.

"Kurama! What happened to you?"

"Heh, about damn time you broke free of that illusion runt. I was starting to think we would not be able to say our goodbyes."

The teen was getting increasingly frustrated and alarmed with how his long time companion worded the sentence.

"What do you mean by that?!"

The boy only got a weak chuckle in response.

"Answer me, you damn furball!"

"That bastard got us, that's what! He knew how to provoke you and what nerves to strike...! And in the end we just walked right where he wanted us to be. The place he kept your friends was the center of that trap."

The low growl calmed considerably as he continued to speak.

"The good news is that we managed to save them, for now. The bad news is, well...that man is more than halfway through the extraction process, hence my not so majestic appearance at the moment."

It was followed by a dry and low chuckle, but Naruto could not find any humor in it.

"No...no! It can't end like..this! We..we are finally a team.. finally friends..! You..you can't..!"

The blond haired teen's eyes brimmed with tears, but he did not let them fall, yet.

"I like this as much as you do, Naruto. But there's hardly anything we can do now...not in our current conditions. I know it's hard to accept bu- "

Before he could even finish his sentence the teen cut him off, objecting fiercely.

"NO! Don't you DARE say that! You're the goddamned Kyūbi no Kitsune! THINK OF SOMETHING!"

"Defiant, even at the death's door... You really are one of a kind Naruto. I'm starting to wonder if I should even be mad at your father for sealing me inside you."

"Of course you shouldn't! Otherwise you would never have met the awesome Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"

He said smiling, but the openly falling tears betrayed the purpose of the smile.

A pair of red orbs watched the blond silently before lowering his vulpine maw to bring his eyes on the same level as the teen's. More or less.

"You, Naruto, are the child of prophecy. " The fox began, his voice distant as if remembering something of far past.

"The one my father spoke about before he left us. The one boy who will remain untainted even in this vile world created by humans. The only one acknowledged by all bijūs, enough to allow him to call us by our real names."

The younger of the remained silent, knowing that the only one who called them by their name was the Rikudou Sennin, or their father, the one who had named them. No human even knew that they all had a name, before the blond that is.

"I... because of my ignorance, or maybe because I did not want to accept that fact, I didn't realize it until now. And that negligence on my part cost us more than could be fixed. I'm sure that things would have gone differently, and not the way they are now.."

"Kurama... it not your fault. We just..-"

A low growl was all warning needed for the blond to clamp his mouth shut, cutting the sentence off before it was fully voiced.

"Gaki, don't interrupt me. This is the only time in my whole centuries of existence that I am willing myself to speak like this, so if don't shut your trap I'll kick you out to deal with Madara alone."

After confirming that, yes, the teen would not open his mouth again he cleared his throat before continuing again.

"Look Naruto... I want to apologize for my earlier actions. The way I treated you before, you had enough on your plate as it was, manipulated you knowing that you couldn't control yourself under the influence of my chakra... Perhaps, I'm telling you this now because one way or another, we are done for. But.. I really mean it."

Naruto, in all his foolishness, could not really blame his reckless attitude for what he did next. Even as his hands reached up to stroke the fiery strands on his companion's muzzle. Even when his tears fell like a rushing waterfall.

He did not understand why he did that. Maybe it was all the emotions that rushed through him...or the warm, fuzzy feeling he got in his chest. Or perhaps because he felt just so...happy, elated even, that the one being who was fated, from the day he was born –Neji would surely call him a hypocrite if they met in afterlife– to be with him actually voiced that, yes, he cared.

It was surprising when Kurama did nothing to stop him.

They had really come a long way from when they met. Maybe he should just hug the fuzzball? Nah.. no need to push his luck, he had done that enough. So instead, he spoke.

"Don't worry, you grumpy old oversized plushie. Your apology is sincere, of course I'd forgive you! And to be honest... I kinda forgot most of the stuff you spoke about."

Kurama could not help but sweatdrop at the teen's antics, as he stared at the sheepish look the blond had at that moment. Even though he had spent majority of the child's life observing him, not that anyone needed to know, Naruto seemed to impress the fox every time, with his uncanny ability to break through a depressed or tense atmosphere like it is nothing but a child's play.

The proud Kyūbi no Kitsune, would never admit, not to anyone and especially not to the blond, but internally, he was glad that Naruto had that specific trait.

"Wait.. you said 'one way or another we are done for'."

The younger boy's lips set in a firm line as he gazed intently at the red orbs, his hands already by his side.

"You have a plan?"

It was not as much of a question as a statement, the ancient fox noted absent-mindedly. Count on the blond Uzumaki to be observant at the oddest of times. Of course, he had a plan. He always had –most of the time anyway– but he was not sure if he could get the boy to cooperate...

He loved his long life at times like this, plus the fact he is a fox.

"Its not something I would even consider, if not for the dire circumstances, but I guess, this situation calls for it. So..yes, it is sort of like a last resort."

"I sense a but coming."

The oversized canine made a dramatic show of sighing before he replied.

"But, it is a double-edged sword. And in our current state its not like it will change the results, it will only allow us to choose a different way."

"Will it stop Madara?"

"Well.. technically speaking, it will do more than just 'stopping Madara' but..-"

"Count me in then."

That, made the fox pause. Sure it made things a lot easier, but to think that he would so readily agree without even knowing everything –not that he was going to tell everything, but still– just because it would stop that bastard was..just a little surprising.

It should not really have been, it was just like Naruto afterall. That, however, did not mean he could not question it.

"What? You mean you don't want to even hear the rest? Don't care about the fact that its basically a suicide technique?"

"You said it yourself, 'one way or another'. Its not like we'll survive anyway, we're merely choosing how."

The teen continued in slightly distant voice, lost in memories.

"Peace in Elemental Nations is at a hand's distance... and if it means I can finally fulfill my promise to Nagato. To Ero-sennin... to my friends, while stealing the last laugh of victory, out of our defeat no less. Of course I'm all up for it!"

The pair of red orbs blinked a few times before the stunned silence, that settled between them, was broken.

"Wow... that was.. Are you sure the genjutsu didn't mess with your brain? That was quite deep for you brat."

"Kurama..!"

The blond teen would deny vehemently, to anyone and everyone who asked, that he was whining at that moment. While an amused smirk stretched across the fox's lips – if it could be interpreted as one. Though it was not long, before a solemn expression crossed their features.

"As much as I don't want to admit it.. I'm going to miss you kid."

"Yeah, me too Kurama..."

It was not really fair in their opinion, but when has life ever been fair, but they did not have time to mop around being depressed. The atmosphere shifted to seriousness so fast, one would have missed the change if they blinked. There was work to be done. Just one last thing. And not much time on their hands. They needed to move, and fast.

"So, what do I need to do?"

"Just stall as long as you can and I'll gather as much chakra as I can in the meantime. And when I tell you, we'll have to release both of our chakra at the same time, got it?"

The bijū explained, before standing up to his 'full height' and stretching his fist in the boy's direction.

"Hai!"

Cerulean orbs burned with determination as the young teen nodded his head and gave his eternal companion one last fist bump, wide grins growing on their faces. With one last shared glance both of them vanished from the blinding whiteness that spanned across the space.

* * *

A pair of azure orbs snapped open with a start, as Uzumaki woke up in the land of living. Having lived as a jinchūriki, and taking in account the forced transformation, the teen could frankly say he had experienced some of the worst pain there is in the world.

The pain he felt coursing through his entire being at that moment, however, could not compare to anything he had felt before.

It was as if thousands of sharp needless were being dragged over his body, sucking all of his energy and rendering him helpless. Every fiber in his body screamed in agony as a burning ache spread through them like a wildfire. The worst part was.. it was excruciatingly slow. And it did nothing, but maximize the effects.

Having a bijū extracted was certainly, not a walk in the park.

Naruto did not know how long it was before his consciousness actually broke away from the agonizing haze. Nor did he know just how. But he suspected his tenant had a hand in that, who knew.

The first thing that registered in his mind was the bright chakra surrounding him, the dragon-snake creatures made of that very matter pinning him down. Meanwhile a steady flow of red chakra, what he guessed was Kurama's, was being pulled out from him into that horrendous statue. They were in the center of what appeared to be a wasteland.

Probably where the cave was before, the blond noted vaguely.

"Oh, you have awaken? Not something I expected... yet not something entirely unexpected either, given what you achieved with my pawn."

He knew that voice alright. How could he not? He could recognize that superior and smug tone, that seemed to be almost inborn with his voice, anywhere.

"..Obi-..to was..not m-meant to end like that!"

His throat felt raw and dry, as if he had screamed himself hoarse. The blond would have turned his head, if not for his body being in a frozen state. As it was, he could only roll his eyes in the direction of the voice, barely catching the sight of the wild black mane.

"Y-you..you used him like a puppet... and twisted his desires for peace just to please your own selfish goals, bastard!"

"You hold a part of the power I seek, yet you could never grasp even a phantom of my reasons for doing this. Even if, in some aspects we are so much alike.. "

"Huh..? What do mean by that?!"

"There's so much you could learn... yet you understand so little."

The blond Uzumaki wished that he could scream, yell at him to just stop talking. To deny everything he was implying with those words, but needed to stall for time. Time was important. For both of them..

The burning of his muscles had lessened considerably. Enough that he could actually think. And he held no delusion that it was because of his furry friend. He would not put past Madara that he could, in his arrogance, let his guard down. Perhaps just to spite the blond, or even to entertain himself before finishing off his most prominent threat.

Well, that would he his downfall.

He did not let his inner thoughts portray on his face though, merely choosing to reply with a sentence.

"Try me, you'll find that I'm full of surprises."

"That I do not doubt, but your efforts are for naught. One who knows nothing, can only understand as much."

The tan youth grit his teeth in frustration. This was going nowhere and he could feel that the elder Uchiha was losing his interest.

 _'How much longer, Kurama!?"_

 _'Just a bit more Naruto, this is not easy for me either.'_

He could barely suppress the anxious sigh that was about to escape his lips. All this nervousness was making him angsty for sure.

"So you got me. What are you going to do with rest of turned Shinobi Alliance now?"

"Well now that I will finally become the Jūbi's jinchūriki, the strongest there is, they won't be more than a little nuisance. But.. even flies can become an annoyance, don't you think?"

The blond teen did not know what it was that set him off. The casual tone he used as if speaking about the day's weather, when he was essentially telling him that his friends were going to die. By that blasted Uchiha's own hands no less. Or perhaps it was the careless, almost detached, way he regarded a life.

Maybe it was both or maybe it was just because he threatened the people he swore to protect, in his face. Perhaps it was a mix of all.

Whatever the reason, it ignited such raw fury from him that it was staggering, even for the youth. He rarely felt a negative emotion so strong, but he guessed it was valid given the situation.

No one threatened his comrades and got away with it! Not a soul!

"Don't you _dare_ touch my friends!"

He screamed venomously, cursing his inability to actually carry out any of his threats in his current state. A pair of intense blue eyes were glaring, or at least trying to, in Madara's direction, hoping to convey their murderous intent just with their heated gaze.

The raven-haired Uchiha just seemed, for all the world, as aloof as he had ever been. But if one looked closely enough, they would have found a spark of amusement in those crimson orbs.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by all, the flow of chakra between the blond and the statue was slowly starting to reverse as the half-humanoid fox entity meddled with the static link. It was a painstaking process just as it was tiring. Kurama was not sure if he could complete the task before the un-dead Uchiha noticed something was amiss. They could only hope he did not anytime soon.

It was during this train of thought that the fox sensed Naruto's anger spike.

He would have reprimanded the teen if something else had not caught his attention then. His chakra, which had been extracted before, was being rapidly drawn towards his vessel. It seemed that it still reacted to the blond's emotions. An interesting discovery indeed. At least he could stop worrying about the chakra amount now.

 _'Ready to go, gaki?'_

 _'Yeah... Its been a pleasure, Kurama.'_

 _'Give him hell!'_

Not many would believe it, but the gigantic red-orange furred fox did have emotions.

At that moment he felt guilty, leaving the kid by himself and all.. But knowing the blond's resilience and capability to overcome any adversity he would surely learn to cope, and he hoped that the parting 'gift' he was leaving behind would help. This was their chance after all... a chance to right some of the world's greatest wrongs.

Chakra engulfed the teen's body, the softly glowing matter caressing his skin as it wrapped around him quickly, layer after layer. To Naruto, however, it felt as if someone was pouring hot molten lava down his veins. So bright, scorching hot, that he could not stop the scream that was ripped from his throat.

If he was aware of his surroundings, he would have seen Madara's eyes widen in shock. Pity, that he was not.

The chakra covered back arched in pain as the huge amount of chakra, the teen supposed included both halves of the bijū he contained, started to fuse with his own. He was still floating in mid-air, enveloped in a bright 'cocoon' of chakra which was steadily growing in size. And whatever was happening, was extremely painful for the blond inside the said cocoon.

What was it today? 'Torture Naruto Day' or something?

The ancient Uchiha stood stock-still, surprise freezing his every fibre, not sure what to make of the situation. Because common sense just could not describe what he was seeing. It seemed as if that brat was drawing whatever chakra absorbed from the bijū back into himself. It should not be even possible. It was... it was crazy! How exactly did he do it?!

He was broken out if his stupor when an inhuman cry pierced the air. It was a low wailing noise, yet at the same time a high pitch roar filled with rage. The giant statue was screaming, yelling, and one could have almost missed a note of pain in it, as the tendrils of Kyūbi's chakra were forcefully ripped from it. A human heart could not help but stutter at the sound.

Madara cursed, eyes still wide. His pride was, once again, causing him to lose what he already had in his grasp. His hands blurred, flying through one hand seal to another expertly. This time though, he had Hashirama's Mokuton on his side. And it was still the Kyūbi's chakra no matter what the blond was doing with it. Mokuton could tame the nine-tails, this would not even mean a set back for him. He would not lose this time around..!

 **"Mokuton : Jukai Kotan!"**

Hundreds of trees sprouted from the barren ground, heading straight to the glowing cocoon, where the oblivious and still screaming blond was. They spiraled and bended in ways which should be impossible for the wood to do so, surrounding the growing bubble of chakra.

But much to the Uchiha's bigger shock, when the trunks made contact with the cocoon, it seemed as if they had made impact with a solid wall which refused to budge under the pressure. In fact it was actually pushing back the unnaturally grown trees.

Not much later, several hundreds of trees joined the earlier group hoping to gain the upper hand. But alas, they were delusional! They soon crackled, breaking under the force generated in the clash.

The ravenette was seething.

He could not understand what was happening. What the hell was the brat doing?! How was he doing anything in the first place?! There was no possibility of this in his plans! It was not supposed to happen!

Were only some of the thoughts that raced through his mind. He poured more chakra in his jutsu, commanding more trees to take down the nuisance. He would not be bested by a last, desperate move made by an already defeated foe. No one would ruin his plan. Not when he was so close to the victory!

Inside the bubble, the blond teen was unaware of the happenings around him. No thanks to the excruciating pain that racked his frame, while the only thing he could do to distract himself was repeat a sentence again and again, like a mantra, in his head. He clung to that one thought of –everything will be over soon. everything will be over soon..– with all his might to lessen the agonizing experience, albeit only slightly.

Unknown to the blond, once all of the Kyūbi's chakra was removed from the statue, his body underwent a slight transformation to prepare itself to house the insanely large amount of chakra surrounding him.

His chakra coils enlarged and became sturdy enough to hold the slightly toned down version of the Kyūbi's malevolent chakra, mixed with the teen's own. His body was breaking and repairing itself, so that it would be strong enough to use the chakra, now his. The bones broke and mended itself even stronger, his muscles ripping and forming more lean but strong ones. Their endurance level would be even better now.

Outwardly, his frame was more lithe, yet one could not deny the strength it held. The most noticeable changes, however, were his hair and face.

His once bright and spiky blond hair was now deep crimson with orange tips. It also grew slightly now reaching to his shoulders, and the bangs framing his face reached till his chin. There was a single blond streak among the otherwise crimson threads in his left bang. They still retained there spiky nature, but toned down as they grew longer.

His deep azure eyes, turned light violet as liquefied garnet bled into them, mixing and swirling in those blues whose depth could match the ocean. The pupils in his eyes turned more like a fox's, slit, in appearance.

The six lines on his cheeks also deepened, stretching comfortably across the cheekbones and a firm jaw, giving a more striking reference to whiskers than before. His canine teeth becoming slightly longer and sharper, one barely poking out his closed lips, since he passed out because of pain some time ago.

As the process was completed, the cocoon of chakra.. imploded, for the lack of better word. It stretched, then rushed inside the blond's body catching Madara off guard. Again. Before engulfing the now red-head in a blinding light. The Uchiha tried to shield his eyes with a hand, but then everything around them was swallowed by the said light.

Uchiha Madara, the resurrected owner of the legendary Rinnegan and almost Jūbi no Jinchūriki, could do nothing as his body vanished along with everything else, when Naruto disappeared with a flash of golden light.

* * *

What the blond teen expected to see once he opened his eyes once more were the people he once knew and were no longer alive. Perhaps his parents, Jiraiya or 'Ero-sennin' as he calls him, Neji.. or maybe Nagato, Itachi... heck, even the past Hokages! But certainly.. not this.

The atmosphere was serene around him, and it seemed as if wind was dancing happily. Singing a sweet lullaby long forgotten, something he never had the chance to listen to before. It was peaceful. But... there was white. Everywhere. And then there was Kurama..

"Kurama..? What are you doing with me in afterlife? I thought that once I released the seal you wouldn't be bound to me.."

"And your assumption is right Naruto. But this is more of my own doing than your father's seal work."

Of course, he lost the red-head there. And the most intelligent answer he could muster up was..

"Huh?"

"You are not dead, kit."

"But I thought you said it was a suicide technique!"

"I did say that. But didn't you know kitsunes are the masters of deception? You shouldn't take everything at face value you know."

That blasted nine-tailed fox! Goddamn the bastard.. Not that he would admit to being fooled so easily.

"So...we're not dead, huh? Then what did you do exactly and what will we do now?"

"I said you are not dead, Naruto. Me on the other hand... "

As if on cue the giant fox's body became slightly translucent, giving it an ethereal aspect.

"What...what do you mean by that? And what's happening to you?!"

Wide, purple-slitted orbs gazed at his partner in distress, tears gathering at the edges.

"I know you're not that stupid, runt. You do understand what I mean, but I'll help you out anyway."

One could clearly hear the dry note in his voice.

"I'm dying, you're not."

"I know what you mean, you stupid furball! Don't say it so casually... Kurama please.. not you.. "

"I told you this was my doing Naruto. I'm doing this to help you. Heh, isn't this ironic? But at least you would have a second chance at this."

"B-but. I didn't ask for a second chance! Not if this is the cost! If you leave me too..I'll..I'll be alone again!"

"Sorry, kid. But this is no longer your call.. and I'm sure you won't be alone in the place I'm sending you."

"Kurama, no...please stop this! I don't care about the place you're sending me to. I want my friend along with me, and if we have to wither away together then so be it."

"That loyalty... never lose that trait of yours Naruto. You'll understand in due time, but first forget all this for a while. For this to work as I intend it to... goodbye Uzumaki Naruto."

After his piece finally said, the fox clapped his hands together, vanishing with naught but a whisper of wind.

"Kurama!"

A blinding light flashed, once again, forcing the youth to close his eyes against the harsh illumination.

His conscious slipped into the comforting darkness, as his lithe frame started shrinking into his clothes. Before he too, vanished from that infinite blankness of space to wherever Kurama had decided to send him. His mind muddled with several unanswered question, before his grasp of his thoughts loosened, and with that there was nothing left but a soft whisper of promise of a better future.

* * *

 **EDIT : I didn't know that a young fox is not called 'kit' until recently. I assumed that since almost all of fanfic writers used the term, it would be right. But no... its actually called a 'cub'! A freaking cub!**

 **Thank goodness for a dictionary.**

* * *

 **.**

 **《TBC》**

 **.**

 _ **-connection terminated-**_


	2. Of Strangers and Memories

**.**

 **[ Location : Somewhere in the nether-reaches.**

 **Studio : Tower of Lust**

 **Time : Too damn early to bother checking ]**

 **.**

 _ **-connection available-**_

 **Jarvis : -yawns and rubs head- What the- who the hell woke me up in this goddamfully early hour?!**

 **K : That would be me –smiles- Morning Jarvis, nice to see you again too.**

 **Jarvis : -glares- That was supposed to be my first full night's sleep in weeks and you just ruined it. . .Much.**

 **K : Huh? –tilts head- that's weird, Segaku said you would be already awake in the notification he sent to SN.**

 **Jarvis : That good for nothing, little piece of –mumbles-**

 **Temari : Dramas aside, you two have a job to do here right?**

 **Jarvis : A job? Why are you here? Aren't we supposed to be doing this on Blank Delirium? This place looks more like a dungeon than an actual studio, besides that Segaku said nothing about you people coming here today.**

 **K : Actually… -pulls card out of nowhere- I've got an invitation.**

 **Temari : Me too, it's signed and everything.**

 **-** _ **a black portal opens in the middle of the room-**_

 **Axel : -walks out of the portal an looks around- Well, it's not the coziest place I've ever been, but still beats my room back in the castle. I'm not too late, am I? The hour in the invitation was too early-**

 **Jarvis : -snatches invitation from Axel's hand- I swear the next time Segaku even dares to ask me to check another chapter, I'll shove the damn text up his-**

 **K : Hey, hey, calm down, maybe he forgot? –receives deadpan stares from everyone- ok, maybe not, but at least that's better than back at home.  
**

 **[Back at Blank Delirium -  
**

 **Random Crew Member : Aah! What the-?! -dodges the electrifying wires near the (newly made) artificial lake-**

 **Another RCM : -shouts over the mechanized man-eating plants- Boss! Hey, Boss! I found the exit!**

 **SN : -blows the ceiling over the... whatevertentaclething it was before turning around- Awesome! Tell everyone to leave at once! I'll cover them.**

 **RCM : Roger!**

 **-cue the strange miscellaneous sounds inside the studio-**

 **-A random shout over the crash and burn- Seal it! Seal the fuckin' entrance! -followed by more weird noises-]**

 **There was an incident involving SN's tab, the pet-plants, a bucket and shit load of strange smelling liquid. And right now, being here is the best place to have some mental peace (and physical safety) at the moment.**

 **Jarvis : These last weeks Segaku had me checking on possible fictions everyday, and the guy has not even finished the next chapter of his main fic! Tell me how's that better than your situation!**

 **K : You haven't suffered working with _them_ … -shudders- you don't know how lucky you are of being here.**

 **Jarvis : I repeat, he had me checking on** _ **ideas of fictions that may not even be published ever! For entire weeks!**_ **You are the lucky one.**

 **K : No, I'm not!**

 **Jarvis : Yes you are.**

 _ **-both glares at each other-**_

 **Axel : Uhhh… guys?**

 **-** _ **both turns at the same time-**_ **What?!**

 **Axel : Nothing, nothing.**

 **-** _ **both returns to glare contest-**_

 **Temari : They are not going to stop that for a while, are they?**

 **Axel : Nope, seems not.**

 **Temari : -sighs- Apparently Segaku knew something like this would happen, because he sent this –pulls script out of nowhere- with my invitation.**

 **Let's see… 'Say thanks to Gabbriel and The Half-Fallen for being the first Favorites of the fic' –looks to the front- Thanks, ok, what's next.**

 **Axel : 'Say sorry for taking too much time between chapters, and explain that it is necessary because of our tight agendas' Well, that explains itself, so check.**

 **Temari : 'Say thanks to all who reviewed' Done. That's all? Whatever –turns to K and Jarvis- Hey you two lovebirds!**

 **-** _ **both turns at the same time, again-**_ **Shut up!**

 **Axel : Leave them alone, it'll be their problem when their bosses find out. Wanna grab some Ice-cream?**

 **Temari : -shrugs- Sure, why not, it wasn't that bad the last time.**

 **Axel : -opens black portal- After you.**

 **Temari : -smirks- What a gentleman –steps into the portal-**

 **Axel : Don't mind those two in the background, they'll get tired at some point. Enjoy the chapter** **~ -steps into the black portal-**

* * *

 **Chapter I : A Stranger In Orange.**

 _"Si el poder tuviera, del pasado cambiar... sin dudar restituiria su vida con la mia pues ya no la ocupo mas..." Amnistia - Panda (Pxndx MTV UnPlugged)_

* * *

 **.**

 **Year XX48 AKF : Sixth Month.**

 **.**

Uzumaki Kushina is bored out of her mind.

Is it necessary to explain what is terribly wrong with that statement?

The morning had started quite pleasantly, in her opinion. She woke up, finding herself next to her cuddler boyfriend.

Something, the woman could not help, but want to tease the blond mercilessly about. In response, though he knew it was useless, the blond would vehemently deny any evidence stating or implying as such. He was not a cuddler. And that was the end of the argument. Or, at the very least, he wished it was.

And as a result, her grumpy mood from the day before had instantly vanished at the merciful waking hour.

There indeed, however, was a reason for her sour mood. And the fact that they could not spend much time with each other due to their increased workload was, surely, the prominent one.

Not that it was something unexpected. Specially with the way any, and every, shinobi present inside the village had been run ragged due to the fire incident a couple weeks ago. It had been quite a stressful time for the village after all.

It was not that the red-head did not understand, but rather, she just did not like it.

And that was without accounting the fact that their schedules in the recent weeks had, more often than not, clashed like day and night. Literally.

Moreover, she had missed her blond. Which she would rather not admit to anyone else. She could not stop the giggle that escaped her lips at that moment. To which, he only smiled. A smile she loved, after all, he reserved it only for her. Then, giving the guy a chaste morning kiss, she went off to prepare breakfast as Minato started his morning routine.

Overall, it seemed like it would be a rather nice day to indulge in relaxation. But, of course, the world just loves to prove the humans wrong.

The day was supposed to be a day off, for both her and Minato. Which was a pretty rare occurrence in itself, considering the war. Most of the shinobi forces were deployed somewhere or the other with various missions and what not. The village was on constant alert, which showed with the paranoid vibe every shinobi gave off.

Even when they were inside their own village they could not afford to let their guard down. Erase that. _Specially_ in their home village.

You never know when an emergency could happen or something. After all, a war was, by no means a carefree time for the village - Or the Elemental Nations for the matter - And every hidden village was striving for victory.

As if, in the end, there even was a winner in this mindless chaos.

In such times, a 'day off', even if they knew there was no such thing, was almost considered a blessing. Almost.

Actually, with the way tension seemed to be almost tangible between the countries, she would not be surprised to find a spy popping out of their toilet. They were quite famous in the battle field after all, and any information the foreign villages could get their hands on about them would be highly valuable.

Not that they would even get close to that goal of course.

Speaking of spies, Uzumaki found the idea of Kumogakure as her 'personal stalker' quite amusing. And she was sure that Iwagakure had some sort of fixation with her blond. Even if the said man did not believe her.

Now that she thought about it.. the Raikage seemed to have some weird obsession with collecting bijus. The almost-successful kidnapping of the red-head, when he already had the Hachibi jinchūriki under his command, was a proof of that. Moreover, there were also rumors going around about the Nibi no Nekomata being spotted near Kumo. But no further information was available on it.

Officially, that is. The petite woman was sure most of the villages suspected Kumo of having a new jinchūriki by now.

Perhaps, she mused faintly, it could even be interesting to see the Raikage and the Tsuchikage trying to make Iwa and Kumo shinobi work together to take the both of them down. If, they ever think of it that is. Yeah.. sure. And she would name her son, when she had one, after some kind of ramen topping.

She just hoped the blond jounin would kick some major Iwa ass at some point in the war, so they would learn not to mess with her man in the future. Maybe, a bingo book entry of _'Namikaze Minato'_ with a _'flee on sight'_ order would do the trick?

Ha, as if! The day that happened, would be the day she would give up on ramen.

...Or not.

It was not wise to bet over ramen. According to her, that heavenly dish had done nothing but given her the experience of pure bliss. It was not fair that she would make a bet over such delicacy.

Anyways... back to the main topic. It was not until they were in the middle of their breakfast that her almost perfect day, in weeks, was ruined. It was somewhere around half-past eight. When they were sitting comfortably on the small dinning table in their kitchen, talking about the latest idea the red-head had to put a smile on the face of the, now-more-than-ever, frowning Sandaime.

Well, it was more like Namikaze trying to convince her that dressing the Hokage in an orange and pink glittered spandex suit was a bad idea... And the female arguing back, that with the way the old man seemed to be always in a grumpy mood, scowl and glare included, he was only a step away from being admitted into the Uchiha clan.

Which, in hindsight, would be pretty ironic considering his relations to the Senju. Especially Senju Tobirama.

And even though the Uchiha matriarch was her best friend, her son 'an adorable ball of sunshine she could cuddle all day' and Obito was like her little brother; the rest of the clan were a bunch of stuck up pricks. With maybe, and even then it was a big maybe, the exception of the clan head.

He needed to lighten up! And what better way than an awesome prank?

Of course, all that she received after the, more than enough, dramatic exclamation was an icy glare. Which did not work on the dark eyed woman anyway.

Then, out of nowhere, an Anbu appeared telling them, and she quotes : 'Team 7 has been summoned for an emergency mission. Hokage-sama is expecting them in the debriefing room as soon as possible.' After which, he vanished as silently as he had appeared.

And since it was an order from the Hokage himself, the blond knew better than to just not follow it. So he had sighed, taking a last bite of his meal. Hurriedly changed into his jounin uniform and disappeared with his trademark flash. But not before giving his girlfriend, not that many people knew about them, an apologetic smile of course.

Which left behind a very pissed off Uzumaki Kushina. And no clever person wants the fuming red-head, hot on their tail seeking vengeance. Specially when the said red-head is rather famous, infamous actually, for her ridiculous ways of extracting revenge.

You see.. this terrible tale is about once upon a time.

When the Anbu Corps used to be a totally secret group. With no one besides the higher ups, consisting of the Hokage, the Jounin Commander and the likes having the knowledge of their existence. Though every shinobi had their suspicions about the shady group.

Shadows, assassins mostly, that get the job done with such skill that their target did not even have an inkling of the deadly blade; that would become their executioner, before they knew no more. _The Elite._.. of the elite.

Until _that_ day, that is.

The aforementioned day was not any different from ordinary, except for a small detail. It was the day the Hokage decided to send one of the operatives to interrupt, a rather... intimate moment between the couple, to summon Namikaze to his office in order to discuss some important matters. However, he would have thought twice had he, had the knowledge of the situation beforehand.

Uzumaki Kushina may not have known much about the secret unit, besides that they used to guard her sometimes after she came to Konoha, but she was not one to let such thing go unpunished. Hence, she decided to make her irritation, and slight mortification, known to the shady lot.

Once she found the location of their headquarters that is.

Let's just say... that starting next day, a determined quantity of villagers and members of shinobi force tried to go with their normal lives with... a porcelain, animal-themed mask glued to their faces. And it would not have been as embarrassing as it really was with just that. But the one responsible was quite creative. So, along with the mask came funky hairstyles with some occasional beard or mustache or some other decorations. Which, amusingly enough, popped out at random intervals in between their daily life.

And they had to endure that for two full weeks. Imagine Anbu members going on missions like that... If you did, congratulations and others... well, tough luck.

During that time, as expected, rose multiple questions regarding the incident. Which had become rather famous as the 'Anbu Incident' among the shinobi forces. The victi-... ehem, the ones on the receiving end of it only stated that it was supposedly some kind of weird prank, whose culprit was anonymous still.

Well, they knew it was the female, and the only, Uzumaki of the village but that did not mean they could prove it.

It needed no further explanation that the aforementioned red-head was irritated at the interruption of her day off. And she was definitely plotting various ways to make the ones responsible for her bad mood pay.

Still, she could not help but feel excited at the anticipation she felt at the thought of reminding them just why she was feared. Since it seemed to her, that the old man did not learn his lesson of 'do not piss off an Uzumaki seal expert', from the last incident. It did not matter to her that it was her own village she terrorized with her pranks.

She did not even stop to consider the fact, that perhaps the Hokage would not needlessly send for the blond unless it was a really urgent mission. But well, she was Kushina.

And that was enough self-explanatory in itself.

It was perhaps quite some time after the breakfast, and she was in the middle of the village market, that she noticed a small, but highly significant, detail, which had escaped her attention before. The dark haired woman had no idea where the Sandaime had moved the Anbu HQ after the Anbu Incident.

Was that not, a disappointing realization?

And even though she still had their individual addresses, she was in the mood of doing something big at that moment. You may ask why she even had their addresses in the first place, no? Apparently she had the insight of searching them up during her last stunt for... 'any emergency escape' as she eloquently put it. Meaning when she was bored enough and out of victims to 'unleash her art on', in her words of course.

Thus, Uzumaki went hunting, for the nest of her victi-... err, prey-... uh.., _the people that made her mad._ Yeah, them.

What started out with much, more than enough for two people actually, enthusiasm on the red-head's part, ended with her giving up pretty quickly. Astonishing really. Specially, since determination was one of her best traits and her love for pranks.

But the point remains, that just after couple of hours since the search started, even though moving around the village always made her bouncy and cheery, she grew tired of not finding anything on her target. She had to give it to the old Hokage, this time he had picked a good hide-out for his boys. Not that it would matter in the long run. But for now she was tired and bored of roaming aimlessly.

Which brings us to the beginning —

Uzumaki Kushina was bored out of her mind. Is it necessary to explain what is terribly wrong with that statement?

 _SFX : GURGLE~ GURGLE~_

It was rather unfortunate, that the people of Konohagakure no Sato would never know that their calm day was just a shy step away from being one of the worst. Or that it was promptly saved by... an unprecedented act, such as a grumbling of a stomach. Granted, it was the stomach of the very person who would have been responsible of the terrorism.

Before her stomach signaled the need for food, the female's prank mind was already halfway through devising various ways to entertain her. Meaning, in other words, many unaware citizens would have fallen prey to her...works.

And no, it was not a typing mistake. She does have a whole part of her brain solely dedicated to pranks. Kyūbi could give the testimony of that... if he does not eat you first that is. It does explain a lot of things regarding her though.

Luckily, it was distracted enough by the sound, for the hunger to overcome her pranking instincts.

This is Uzumaki Kushina we are talking about here, why bother to even try to understand how her brain works? Leave that to Namikaze Minato, that is his problem now.

Since she was already outside, and did not feel like returning home to prepare anything for herself, she made a mental map of the village before tracing the shortest and fastest route from her current spot to her new destination. As soon as it was done, she was merrily skipping along the path, with a happy smile on her face.

* * *

In a darkened room, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed in relief when he saw the Uzumaki changing direction on the street. She was barely a few steps away from catching a 'villager' leaning against the wall of a 'normal' building, who also felt relief wash over him as the female menace went away.

With a wave of his hand the image being displayed on the crystal ball vanished, making it look less suspicious and more innocent than it really was. Walking out of the secret room in his office, Sarutobi sealed the entrance on the wall so that no one, baring him, could enter there.

The elder Sarutobi knew, that sending an Anbu-nin for Minato on his 'day off ' again would not end in his favour. Or the village's for the matter. But they were at war, and every minute was crucial. Even if his personal guard showed some.. reluctance to do such a simple task. Returning to his place on the chair behind the desk of his office, he took out his pipe and lighted it with a simple katon control exercise. He then drew a deep breath, savoring the bitter taste for a while before letting the smoke waft upwards in a nigh lazy manner.

He would deal with the rambunctious Uzumaki later. Right now, there were more important matters that needed his attention. Like the reports he had received just hours earlier regarding the Southern and Eastern regions, including the northeast.

The Team reporting had been given ample time to rest, specially for the fact that it was one of the best teams for information retrieval missions and the likes. Which, contrary to popular belief, was not as easy as it sounds. It was even worse during the wartimes because of the high risk of spies.

There were countless of scenarios were things could, and would, go irreversibly wrong.

Even a simple misplacement of the information with a fake copy, via an enemy spy, could lead to gruesome results. Seeing as warfare tends to rely heavily on the informations gained and how one handles it.

Similar to the fact that the repercussions and responsibility of the careless action, along with the pride of every victory, would fall upon the shoulders of the ultimate warlord. In this case the kages of the various hidden villages. He had to make decisions carefully and also keep in mind the 'bigger picture' which, of course, would be beneficial for the village.

He was, after all, the pillar that was their core strength. And in most cases, it was rather easy to forget that no matter how strong, in the end, he was just a man.

Albeit, a man with responsibilities and morale higher than most. He had to, of course, endure for his people.

With a weary sigh, the Sandaime Hokage put down the papers he was carefully going through for a while now. The situation there did not seem like it had deteriorated much from the last time... It was definitely a relief that Kiri had withdrawn from the war, declaring itself a neutral party. At least now he did not need to worry about being invaded from eastern waters.

Still, it was a bit concerning, since the kage of Kumo was not really a patient man. A testimony would be the increasing amount of skirmishes they had with the village at the start of the war. Then again, he could be when the situation calls for it, he would have never made kage if that was not the case.

Musing about the old times when he had the opportunity, rather unfortunate ones, of meeting his counterparts, his thoughts strayed towards the other kage who was quite intolerable. The current kage of Iwagakure no Sato.

They had often clashed with each other, having different views on strength and whatnot... among other things.

The monkey summoner had also been hearing suspicious rumors, going around about some strange movements regarding the stone village. Although, it was always better to have some sort of proof. Which made him glad that the reports about the other regions were expected during the coming weeks. It would do no good to his village, if she was blind to others' ploys. Especially Iwa's.

Besides the international worries, the professor's instincts were screaming that something was going to happen soon. In the village that is. For better or for worse, he did not know. What he did know, however, was that it would involve one of his better teams sent on the field.

Team 7, or Team Minato as they call it, if he wanted to be more specific.

He did not get to his current age in this line of work, which was an accomplishment in itself, by dismissing this instinct as false. Though he still had the wisdom of never depending solely on it. And he was not going to break that habit anytime soon.

Also, there was this expectant feeling he had since the morning that something would break his door and mess everything up. As if that incident a couple weeks ago was not enough already. And perhaps it was too ridiculous of a thought, for him to put much faith in it.

"It must be the age finally catching up with me."

For now though, he was content with smoking himself to death while continue reading the war reports.

* * *

"Kushina-san! A surprise to see you here today. I thought you would be spending the day with Minato-san?"

It was around late afternoon when the owner of the humble ramen stand noticed a certain kunoichi walking in the stand's direction. More specifically one of his best customers in the whole village, which was only a few since the business was still in development. But no matter, she was the type of customer that one could profit the same amount as ten average customers in just one sitting!

As long as the food served was _ramen_ that is.

The lunchtime-rush had passed by then and only a couple of people could be seen there. But even then, it would not have mattered much as the stand had not become that famous yet. He was broken out of his musings when she enthusiastically greeted him with a bright smile, and he easily returned the gesture.

"Me too, Teuchi-san. Me too.."

The female of the two sighed dramatically, sitting on one of the stools at the front, as she continued in an exaggerated tone.

"But unfortunately, Sandaime-sama called him out on mission with his team."

"Oh I see.. Well I hope that they accomplish their task successfully and safely return home."

The man was a civilian, and as such he never knew exactly how stressful a wartime was for the shinobi who protected the village with their life. But even he could guess. After all, it is not only the shinobi population that are anxious during such times.

That was why he had opened his stall in a convenient place, where most shinobi could get to easily, hoping that the normalcy of his food stand and day to day casual interactions would help them. Even if only a little.

"Pfft! The blondie wouldn't dare to let any harm come to his team or himself if he knows what's better for him. And I would be pissed if he takes more than a week to finish up whatever their mission is."

Teuchi just laughed lightheartedly at Uzumaki's comment, knowing perfectly well that even seasoned shinobi would cower before her wrath.

"So, how's work going on, Teuchi-san? Any increase in customers?"

"It's surely better than last month. The popularity, however low it is now, is actually surprising considering it's only been few months."

"That's good!" The dark eyed female chirped.

"Because if the people can't recognize your mastery over the fine art of making ramen, then they don't deserve to have you here."

It was quite amusing for the young chef, since she had said it with such a serious face.

"Why, thank you Kushina-san. The compliment is very much appreciated."

His only reply was a toothy smile from the female with added thumbs-up. Which was promptly ruined by the rumble of her stomach, making her blush in embarrassment.

"A bowl of salt-ramen?"

"The biggest one you have!"

As the chef went inside the kitchen to prepare her order, a momentary silence descended at the stand. The remaining customers had already left, making her the only one there.

The purple eyed beauty never did like silence. She would start fidgeting on her seat, to distract her mind, if she ever had to sit through it. It was not the fact that she could not bear it, rather than the fact that if she was alone in silence, she started to think. And whenever that happened, she would remember things.

Like her old village, of which only ruins remained now, her family... more specifically her aunt who used to live in this very village. Her burden.. and the fact that it was now her own.

That train of thought, unsurprisingly, reminded her of the incident barely a month ago.

A hand unconsciously moved to her abdomen, trying to sooth a phantom pain that was only in her memories. It felt like someone was forcefully ripping her insides out. That was probably the most longest and agonizing ten minutes of her life. The vile chakra, Kyūbi's chakra her mind corrected, was leaking from the seal. She did not even known it was possible!

Not without a strong negative emotion influencing her or if the seal was defective by any chance. And both scenarios were out of question for that period, as she learned later from Minato.

The chakra settled around them, like a fūton jutsu, making the air heavy with pressure. Except it's nature was too malevolent for any of those techniques. It was a good thing, she noted distantly, that they had moved her in a sealed room. Where her gentle boyfriend was frantically trying to find whatever problem was with the seal, which bore no results, probably frying his brain in the process.

It made her feel so guilty, that she was the reason he was worried.

Then for a moment, in the blond's opinion since she was barely aware of her surroundings, it seemed that the chakra was still before suddenly vanishing inside the seal again. The next second she was out like a light.

"Kushina-san, one bowl of salt-ramen!"

The red-head returned his cheerful exclamation with a polite 'thank you' with a smile, hiding her initial surprise at being brought back to reality so abruptly. As she started to eat slowly, contrary to her usual enthusiasm, her thoughts stubbornly returned to the previous topic she was thinking about.

She had been on a _hors de combat_ leave the next couple of days, after the incident. Which the blond had tried to play off as a precaution, she was not allowed to leave until the seal was confirmed to be secured, just to be sure that something like that would not happen again.

Sometimes.. that guy! It was not like she was injured or anything. She could not even go out for ramen! That sucked most, in her opinion.

During the time they waited for Jiraiya to show up, she entered her mindscape to check on its 'inhabitant'. That was when she noticed, that the fox had somewhat less chakra than before. Normally it would even be impossible to tell, but she had that furball for a decade and some, she could easily spot something like that.

She was further surprised that it seemed less.. evil? She did not know how to word it exactly.

Oh, the demon was just as foul mouthed, loud and blunt in stating just how he would like to destroy the humans, as usual, but the feeling of hatred incarnate was somehow toned down. And it seemed almost civil.. It even stopped irritating her, most of the time. Although, during this whole month since that day it seemed restless. As if it was waiting for something... or rather, _worried_ about something.

It was a preposterous thought.

The female was not sure that she even wanted to know what that something was. Something that could make even the fox demon anxious, would surely not be good, right?

When she told Sandaime and Minato about that, the Hokage was quick to order some of the best sensors to search the whole Fire Country, and if possible nearby villages too, for any sign of chakra that resembled that of Kyūbi's.

One afternoon, when Minato had brought her lunch, he mentioned something about them catching a chakra flare; even though the chakra seemed less vile somehow, in the northern part of Fire country before it died out almost immediately.

That was three weeks and four days ago, not that she was counting. Since then, nothing else could be gathered about the mysterious incident.

And it was not the only dissatisfying thing about the whole fiasco. While that search was fruitless, the information concerning her seal was almost dry. Even after being thoroughly checked by two of Konoha's best Seal Experts, they could not find any fault with it whatsoever. It was as if the seal had malfunctioned just for the heck of it!

But the Uzumaki knew that something was horribly off with the incident. And that was not only because of her tenant's weird behavior. She just... had a strange feeling about it.

The red-head just did not know, if it was good or bad.

Quite naturally, whatever research and investigations were done regarding it were highly confidential, and were conducted in shadows. It would do the village no good if word got to the other villages that Konoha's jinchūriki was having problems. Especially now, of all times.

The dark eyed female's musings were suddenly interrupted by a kid entering the bar-styled stand, sitting just a couple seats away on her right side.

"Kon'nichiwa, Oji-san!"

"Ohoho boy! I thought you wouldn't come today."

"Nah.. free ramen is too good to pass up. And yours is the best there is, Oji-san!"

The older brunet could not help but laugh at the teen's remark.

"So, what will it he today? Pork or Miso?"

"Pork!"

Kushina watched the boy from the corner of her eyes, as he chatted amicably with the ramen chef, while he prepared the boy's order. She had never seen the boy, a teenager really, before in the village. And while that, usually, would not amount to anything as she did not really know each and every citizen, but it was hard to miss this strange kid in front of her. Especially taking in account of his enthusiasm over ramen.

Hey! The kid recognized the wonder of Ichiraku's ramen already, that at least earned him some points in her book.

Even without that detail, his coloring was not really common around the region. What with a mix of crimson and orange locks, and that lone blond strip in the shock of hair that framed the left side of his face. His hair was well past the shoulder blades, and she could just see him growing it out even longer. The woman suspected his eyes were a dark color too.

Though, she silently thought, his wardrobe could surely use some revamp.

Currently, he wore a tracksuit set, in orange and black, with the jacket unzipped to reveal a grey fishnet-style armor under a dark blue tee-shirt. With them a pair of flat sandals, not unlike the ones travelling civilians wear.

By his height and voice, the female red-head estimated that he could only be somewhere around twelve or thirteen. Although, the way his clothes seemed a bit baggy over his frame, she guessed that he was either scrawny or had a lithe build under the tracksuit. She had a feeling it was the latter, rather than the former, option.

The dark orbs never left the boy's frame, she had even turned her head slightly towards him, even as the order was placed in front of him and the boy attacked the food with gusto.

 _'Damn, did the kid like ramen...'_

It was the only thing she could think of then. And for the first time in her life, a half-eaten bowl of ramen got cold in her presence. On any normal day, she would have finished it in a matter of mere seconds or perhaps even cried over the cold ramen, muttering about how it was waste of such fine food. Not that day though.

The rambunctious female did not even notice it in the first place, being too absorbed in her current task. That was, balantly staring at a teenage boy. She did look like a child molester in that moment.

The Tokubetsu Jounin did not know what, but there was something about the boy that made her want to know more about him. Was it the red locks that were so similar to her fallen clan? Or his cheerful aura? Or something else...? Like the restlessly stirring beast within her.

For some reason, it was more anxious than it had been the past weeks. She felt it was from being near this strange boy. And that thought made her uneasy..

And, for an inexplicable reason, there was this weird sense of familiarity towards him. It was all so confusing. The many questions she had, obviously would not provide answers by themselves, so she opted for observing him. At least that was what she thought she was doing.

As if sensing the stare, which he probably did, the boy turned towards her. And just like that, the magic was broken.

"Uh.. lady, why 're you growling at me?"

Her mind would not really process the question until some time later, being too surprised at that moment. Her lips parted in a thinly veiled gasp, as she took in his face for the first time. The first thing she registered about his features were those clear violet eyes, with hints of red, and slits for pupil, which greatly resembled that of a cat's.

 _'Or fox's.'_ A more cynical part of her mind whispered.

The next were the scars, three slightly jagged strips on each cheek, perfectly imitating whiskers of a feline. And his canines were a bit longer than average, though no more than an Inuzuka's. If she had to comment, the boy's features screamed feral, dangerous. Yet his aura and the way his voice held that cheerful, sometimes mischievous, lilt said otherwise.

"Oi! Quit staring, will ya' lady?"

It took a second for her rebooting brain to start functioning properly, before she noticed that the boy was glaring up at her which turned halfway into a pout actually. Especially with the way he crossed his arms over his chest, made him look more like an angry pup than a dangerous predator. And when the female's fangirling instincts kicked in, the teen never stood a chance against her.

"Oh my gosh! What could have I done to make such an adorable thing like you mad?"

She cooed, which quite frankly disturbed the teen, while hugging the life out of the poor boy. Which, in other words, meant that she was suffocating the lad.

"Gah! ...Miss! ..Lady! Whatever.. let go!"

Teuchi watched the scene with amusement. Chuckling under his breath at the sight of the poor teen waving his arms and squirming against the hold helplessly when the female red-head lifted him from the ground, without loosening her death grip.

After a while, deciding that he had enjoyed enough of the lad's misfortune, he intervened before the boy could die of suffocation. It was a small possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. He cleared his throat, hoping to catch the attention of the one who could make sense of her surroundings still.

"Kushina-san, I think you should let poor Akashi-kun go now. He looks like he would appreciate some air."

The female looked up at him as if broken from a trance, but confusion was present in her dark orbs now.

"Huh..? Who's Akashi?"

"The boy barely conscious in your arms?"

As if just noticing that the form pressed against her chest was not a stuffed animal but a human being, regardless of how cute he appeared, she carefully placed him back on his seat releasing her hold. His eyes were currently replaced by dizzying swirls as he incoherently mumbled, something about crazy woman's, under his breath.

With a few gentle shakes from Kushina, he was finally pulled out from his daze. Wide eyes blinked a few times, before focusing in the figure in from of them. The female of the duo offered him a sheepish smile, really embarrassed about her previous actions, opening her mouth to apologize.

Which was interrupted before she even began, as the boy abruptly scrambled backwards till he touched the wall. Loudly shouting with an accusing finger pointed towards her.

"Crazy lady! Don't ya' touch me! Stay away!"

"Hey! I'm trying to apologize here!"

The female red-head huffed, a scowl forming on her lips. She knew it was mostly her fault... What? It was not her fault that the kid was so damnably adorable! But he did not need to be so loud about it. The boy, 'Akashi' was his name according to Teuchi, opened his mouth to speak again but closed it after a moment of hesitation.

For a brief second, when he tilted his head sideways, a distant look passed over his eyes. As if considering something... Or perhaps listening to something. But it was gone so fast that she had to wonder if it was not a trick caused by light.

"You were..? Well, I forgive you then, um...?"

"Kushina."

"Kushina... okay!"

The lack of honorific was not lost on her, as she watched the teen moving towards the entrance of the stall, which was also the exit.

"Thanks for the ramen! I've got to go now. See you later, Oji-san!"

"Of course, my boy! There'll always be a bowl waiting for you next day."

The red-head grinned broadly, waving a goodbye as he turned to leave. Which he would have, had Kushina not stopped him.

"Hey! Akashi.. right?"

Said boy stopped short of the step he was going to take, before turning to nod at her.

"Hope to see you again then, Akashi-kun!"

"Me too!"

The teen chirped, before a mischievous gleam entered his smiling eyes. Running out he shouted over his shoulder.

"Bye crazy lady!"

It was loud enough that some random passerby also stopped in surprise. But before any reply could be heard, the boy had already disappeared around the corner, his red hair flowing behind him. The absent-minded woman would notice later, that after that meeting her tenant was oddly calm, almost in a pleased manner.

"What a cheeky brat."

The chef just shook his head with an amused, as he heard the female's disgruntled remark.

"That may be so, Kushina-san. But you can't help but like him."

"You seem to speak fondly of him..."

"He's a good kid. What else can I say?"

The brunet shrugged nonchalantly, a smile pulling at his lips.

"But his.. um..you know.."

There was an awkward expression on her face as she tentatively moved a hand over her face. The chef just hummed thoughtfully, letting the silence stretch for a while.

"True, his facial features are quite intimidating.. " He started.

"Honestly speaking, I can admit, that I too was slightly afraid of him when I first saw his face. Hence, his personality was a pleasant surprise, which highly contrasted with his appearance. Sometimes, that boy seems just too naïve for his own good.."

And indeed, what he said ringed true. But even so, there was just.. something that did not add up with his character. She was a kunoichi, and could not help but be slightly suspicious of the teen. His pleasant attitude made it hard to dislike him however. That she could admit.

"Did you know when I first met him, he said he came here 'cause he wanted to find someone?"

 _'I wonder who it could be...'_

His sudden comment reminded Uzumaki of something she had wanted to ask the stand owner for some time now.

"And how did you meet him, Teuchi-san?"

* * *

When Sarutobi heard the commotion in the lower level of the tower, he knew it was Uzumaki Kushina. And so, with deep resigned sigh, he prepared himself for a furious red-head. Frankly, he was surprised that she decided to visit so late. He would have expected her to come storming in his office, only a couple hours after he sent for Namikaze.

But now it was well past noon and into early evening. He wondered what had happened, so disastrous enough, to stall her.

The only thing, Sarutobi Hiruzen forgot to consider, was that it could be about something else. Which was actually the case this time.

Only a few minutes later, the female jinchūriki stood at the entrance of his office. A broken door lay on the floor as she marched towards the desk. What he heard her say the next second, so fast he almost missed it, was probably as perfect a definition of 'messed up' as he could get.

"You have to search for a kid named 'Akashi'. He's in Konoha at the moment. And I don't know just how but I have a feeling he's related, directly or indirectly, to the incident with my seal almost a month ago. Perhaps even more than we would like anyone to be."

There was short pause, as the leader of Konohagakure no Sato tried to process the information.

"And maybe... he could become a threat to the village."

...

...

"I'm starting to get too old for this shit."

* * *

 **Memories — The Amber Eyed Child.**

* * *

 **.**

 **Year XX48 AKF : Fifth Month.**

 **.**

 _Natsu_.

The season of Summer.

It is said to be the warmest of all the seasons, and used to refer to out-going and cheerful expressions. Painted with the hues of yellow, blues, and reds, it was described with sunshine, cobalt skies and thriving flower beds.

During the fifth month of the year, it was supposed to be summer in Hi no Kuni. Which, at the current moment, was completely at odds with above description.

Not that the nature was at fault, mind you. It was the Third Shinobi World War, that was taking it's tolls on the people of Elemental Nations. Even the warm weather could not diffuse the cold and harsh atmosphere that had descended on the lands, courtesy of the continuous dispute among its people.

It was a sad thing to watch. But no matter, even admist such environment, there were places which had, not yet, lost its liveliness and color.

One such place was a quaint village, located amongst the many forests of Fire and a mountain range, in the northeast part of Hi no Kuni. Named Kohaku no mura.

Figures, that Land of Fire would have a village named 'amber'.

Truthfully, the village itself was not that impressive or something close to it. It was neither one of the bigger villages of Fire, nor was it one of the smaller. It was just normal, of sorts, village.

Most of the village populace, earned their living through working in the coal mines that were located near the mountain range. The unnatural amount of black gold that their land held, was the only different thing it had from the other villages. And the fact that most of the blacksmiths resided, or at least originated, from this village. As such, most of the weapons for Fire country were made there, by importing the metals from their neighbor village.

It was equivalent to the Supāku no mura, or so they say, that was located in the rocky hills of Kaminari no Kuni.

Still, the warm atmosphere of the village was something akin to a blessing in these times. Most of the days were spent in tranquility, with the usual cheer here and there.

On such normal evenings, the scant rays of the sun made the forest seem like it was glowing with translucent fire. Bathing everything in red, orange and gold. That day, was like any other in that context. The streets were littered with hanging lamps, as the people continued with their monochrome routine.

All except one person that is.

A child, barely eight years of age, was weaving through the crowd with an ease, that spoke well of his agility and reflexes. He was not, however, running aimlessly around the village. The child was out to find the red-headed foreigner. The same person, who was also staying at his home for the time being.

The wind ruffled his already messy chocolate locks, as he remembered just how exactly he met the teen.

The village he lived in was, quite a few times, targeted by roaming bandits or even rouge-nins because of it's resources. They did have a few wandering samurais to guard the village, but some sneaky ones always seem to slip past them. The village elder had thought of hiring shinobis too, but during the war it was difficult to do so.

Not to mention even if they do get there, it will be far too late. Up until now, nothing too disastrous had happened to their village, and they hoped that it stayed that way.

Last week, late evening, when he was out near the woods, a couple of bandits had swept up the brunet. Bounding him with ropes and a gag, so he could not call for help. He had been utterly terrified then. The many stories he had heard, some old people telling the kids involving the same scenario, had not helped in the slightest. On the contrary, instead of quelling the fears, they only increased it.

The child knew the forested path the bandits were taking, it was the one that no one used anymore. It only made things worse for him. In that moment, he cursed him dumb decision to go anywhere near the woods. His mother had specifically told him not to do so! After which, he cursed the no-good bastards for choosing to kidnap him, hoping that by some unexpected miracle he would be saved.

No suck luck, he had thought sullenly when the minutes slowly ticked past one by one.

The group was not even halfway through the woods when they became oddly silent. Their jeers and laughter stopping abruptly as they came to a halt. The brunet child did not even heard what the leader of the group was barking, being too occupied trying to see, what exactly was going on. Which was pretty difficult considering he was facing the other way.

And he could not voice the question even if he wanted to. The gag, which tasted rather horrible in his opinion, in his mouth took care of that.

Then, as if it were a scene from a terrible horror movie, an oppressive feeling filled the air. The rage and disgust nigh palpable, that left him feeling more than a little lightheaded.

It ended so fast, that the brunet could not tell when had it even began.

One instant, he had been bound and gagged over some brute's shoulder, and the next he was sitting on the ground, vision blurry. When his eyes became focused again, there was a strange boy leaning over him, checking him over for, what seemed to be, any type of injuries. His mind did not process what was happening, only that he was safe. For the time being.

When the boy would later turn to look back on this incident; all he would be able to recall, would be a memory of a red blur...

In that moment of wonder, the amber eyed child did not even flinch from his saviour's appearance. Even though, with his wild crimson locks and animal-like eyes and nails, combined with the bloody kunai clutched between his teeth, the teen painted quite a frightening and eerie picture.

After a while, when the red-head confirmed that the kid had no major injuries, he immediately doubled over. Most probably passed out, although, because of what he did not know. That was just when his brain's function were starting to kick in.

The child not help but feel slightly... disgruntled. It was just so anticlimactic.

And since the teen's larger frame was no longer blocking his view, the brunet could finally see the bandits that had tried to kidnapp him only mere hours ago. What remained of the group, were just dead bodies, lying only a few feet away from them. The child could not resist the urge to throw up then.

Thankfully the teen, whoever the boy was, had already taken care of the ropes bounding him.

No matter the result, he argued, the strange boy had saved him. And he was not going to leave him in the forest. Thus, the child dragged the red-head to his home. There, after listening to the story, his parents immediately called the local healer.

She looked like granny, was the only thing the brunet child could think of that described the medic.

She had declared, after a brief examination, the teen to be healthy, if only exhausted. He seemed to have traveled for some time. She also said that he may be suffering from 'chakra exhaustion'. Whatever that meant. He had no interest in learning about that, he only wanted to know when 'Red', as the boy had unconsciously taken to call his saviour, would wake up.

The next morning, much to the healer's surprise, the strange boy woke up to reveal that he had violet eyes. He had never thought of violet as a 'cool' color before that. It seemed, as his mother once commented, that the color of his orbs could out-match even those of gems.

He had never seen anyone quite like the red-head, the brunet boy could not help but think. Not only was his appearance odd, but his personality contrasted with everything his looks spoke of.

The teen was really cheerful too, when he actually talked instead of brooding, and treated him as he had seen older boys treat their younger siblings.

Sure, the boy was strange, the child decided, but he liked him as his 'Onii-san'.

The nigh four feet child, came to halt at the tree line from where the forest started. If he was right, the red-headed teen should be somewhere around the area. Golden-orange orbs carefully searched through the thick curtains of leaves, before pausing on a particular tree on his far left.

"Akashi-nii!"

He watched as the teen, or Akashi as he was called by the child, perked up from his comfortable perch on a thick branch of the tree. Swinging down from his seat, the red-head carefully landed on the ground before peering curiously at the brunet. Jogging slightly towards his pseudo-brother, he addressed the stare in an exasperated tone.

"It's almost dinner time Onii-san! C'mon... you don't want to make Okaa-chan wait!"

Dragging the taller boy, the amber eyed child glared crossly as his brother figure laughed at his expense. Here he was, trying to save him from mother's wrath and all he does is laugh! See if he helps him again... hmph!

Even with the surfacing of such thoughts, he could not really suppress the grin that was threatening to spilt his face in two.

It had been three days since his, recently dubbed, 'Onii-san' had saved him. And three days since he had dragged the teen to his home. During which, many things had happened.

The kid specially took pride in the fact, that he had thought of such an awesome name for his brother. At first, he did not really understand what his parents were talking about when they said that the red-head had 'amnesia'. His father later explained that it meant that the teen had somehow lost his memories.

The brunet still remembered the way his violet eyes looked so confused when they asked him his name. He felt really sad for the boy. And at that moment, he decided that he will give the teen a new name! Something cool, something... something to do with red.

The older boy had been confused when he told him what his new name would be, since he could not understand why the amber eyed child chose that name. He explained then, that when the red-head had saved him, he only remembered a red blur. And since 'Akashi' sounded cool, he thought it would suit the teen.

Also because after that the bastards were dead, but he did not need to know that, yet.

In reply the grin he received was so blinding, that he stopped to wonder, just for a moment, whether the sun had gotten too close.

When his brother was fit enough to move again, which was the same day he woke up, the brunet gifted him the clothes his parents had gotten the old seamstress to fix up. The one that could be still fixed that is. The jacket was passable now, but the pants had to be replaced with a new pair. And since the older boy seemed to like orange they had chosen a pair of black pants with orange lining.

The teen had thanked them repeatedly, claiming that if there was something he could do to repay them he would gladly do so. His parents protested at first, but somehow Akashi ended up helping them anyway.

During his stay, when the teen was not helping some villager or doing some kind of job, he tried to help him remember... something, anything really, that could relate to his past life. And up until now, he could only remember a weird symbol for 'shinobi' and a 'leaf' symbol.

The adults said that they did not have any idea about the former, maybe they had that symbol in the academy or something, but the latter was the symbol of the shinobi village of Hi no Kuni. Also known as, Konohagakure no Sato.

Maybe the red-head knew someone from that place? The child did not know what to think of that. He did not want his brother to leave him.

And even though, last week's experience was traumatizing for the child, he was glad that he, at the very least, was able to meet the red-head teenager. Maybe.. his life was not as adventurous as some would like, but he was happy. It was good enough for now.

While the two boys headed towards their home, darkness creeped across the sky, instantly dissolving what little sun rays were left, making way for the stars to come out.

Their walk back would have been silent, had the older boy not asked about how his day went. As the younger of them animatedly described his daily events, he failed to notice the soft smile directed towards his person.

* * *

 **Trivia :**

 _1) Word count 8.8k_

 _2) Translations –_

 _Kohaku no mura : Village of Amber_

 _Supāku no mura : Village of Sparks_

 _Akashi : Red death_

 _3) AKF : After Konoha's Founding_

 _(There isn't a specific year mentioned in the series so we worked with whatever was available. Its pretty accurate if I say so myself, as it is based on Sandaime's age.)_

I swear this chapter didn't want to be written. I had a hell of a time trying to get this to work (except the Memories part, as it was written solely by me). I may, or may not, edit it someday.

I'd like to thank anyone who followed, favorited and reviewed this story too! It is really appreciated and our source of motivation!

So readers, read and review so can it be updated faster!

And just for your information, I wrote a one-shot just the other day and may post another in coming days. Keep your eyes open so you won't be bored while waiting!

 _ **Ja ne ~**_

* * *

 **Well, hello there :D**

 **For those who don't know me, I'm Rinsegaku (Just segaku, please) aaaaand I'm the one working in this fic with SN, sooo, hiya!**

 **We had this really awesome idea for a fic a while ago, when discussing about our individual fics (Yeah, I'm also a writer here, duh!) and we thought "Hey, if we do a fic together, wouldn't it be awesome?" and here we are, on the first official chapter of this fic, and we have muuuch more planned for it, so keep on reading!**

 **Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing and editing it... well, as much as I enjoyed it, for SN the casualty of war was their tablet... may its main processor unit be one with the matrix now... or whatever happens to artifacts when they die.**

 **See ya' :D**

* * *

 **.**

 **《 TBC 》**

 **.**

 _ **-connection terminated-**_


End file.
